Inclusivity in The Classroom
This week in class we had a guest speaker come in and talk about how tech can be a great help with students with disabilities or just any student. Of course, student needs are vastly different and there is a massive variety of things students need help with to learn. There are just some needs which cannot be met by technology, which is fine. Technology is supposed to be an aid in any way it can, and as society learns more, we can push the boundaries of how much technology can do.
As educators, we must identify students with more advanced needs and seek out different options and resources to help them along. It is crucial to have patience in this process. As we recognize students with more advanced needs we must then start a plan on ways to help them. We can try a multitude of different things to help the student but we must start by observing. Notice things the student is struggling with and even things the student seems to do really well/enjoys. Begin by writing things down and keeping track of things that seem out of place or notable. This way if you wish to help the student you can recount the things which have been happening to the rest of the educational team at your school. If others also agree with what you are seeing then you can reach out to the family with some information already and the start of a plan.
Once the student has been identified by the school to have advanced needs then an IEP can be put in place the student can start receiving the resources they deserve. Of course, as everything will most likely still be new, many strategies and resources will be tested to see what seems to work best for that individualized student. This can be one of the most challenging parts of the whole process. Often students with advanced learning needs can be in need of some advanced technology. School districts often struggle to stay up to date and technology used by students with disabilities is often outdated. This can leave a great number of our students at a disadvantage in their learning. Our guest speaker mentioned that in important situations you can ask the PAC at your school to help with fundraising and they often help out in great ways. While this is not the only resource for helping find money to help buy students needed technology, it is one of the main resources and I hope to see some more funds put in place for students with advanced learning needs in the years to come.
Community and Family Connections
Our guest speaker spoke a lot about just how important connections between the school and communities/families are. If a student has a disability most of the time parents will be very engaged in how they are doing at school and what their plan is but there are also families and parents who simply cannot be as present. Trying to stay connected with the family is important and technology can make this connection a lot easier. There are many great ways to use technology to connect with families such as fresh grade, email, or even google classroom. By posting on fresh grade parents can see what their child is doing throughout the day and how well they are succeeding. Technology can also be a way to send parents resources that have been working well for their child in the classroom that they could try implementing at home. It is even just important to stay connected so that the families can let you know what strategies have been working for them at home.
In a regular year sometimes it can be nice to have a school BBQ. Parent-teacher conference nights can often be quite formal and not every parent can always make it. An informal BBQ where meals are provided gives the students a chance to spend time together outside of the school setting and gives parents some time to conversate without having to worry about their children. This can be a great opportunity for teachers to talk with parents in a less formal way about their students and their needs. I really thought this was a great idea especially for students with disabilities, they often have a harder time at school because of its negative associations so being able to come to school for a fun positive day can be greatly beneficial.
That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading!
